Fauna Hodel, a naïve young girl growing up outside of Reno, Nevada, embarks on a desperate quest to discover who she is. In Los Angeles, Jay Singletary, a former Marine turned hack reporter covers a gruesome murder.
Newly arrived in Los Angeles, Fauna attempts to track down her family, including her mysterious grandfather, George Hodel. Jay continues his pursuit of the Bloody Romeo, but he can't let go of the story that ruined his career years ago—a story that involved George Hodel.
A visit from Billis and the LAPD leaves Jay wondering how close he's getting to the truth. Fauna must reconcile Corinna's revelations with the suspicion that Corinna is hiding Fauna's mother, Tamar.
A phone call from Corinna leads Jay to believe that there are cracks appearing in the Hodel case; Fauna feels closer than ever to finding her mother, Tamar, and wonders if an invitation to a Happening might be an opportunity for more information.
Jay and Fauna search for a way to make it to Hawaii so Fauna can find her mother, Tamar Hodel, and learn the truth about why she was put up for adoption, and for Jay to see if Tamar holds the answers to the Hodel case that destroyed his career.
When Fauna hears what happened to Jimmy Lee, she frantically searches for a way home. As Watts explodes around her into chaotic riots, Fauna's way out harbors a nightmarish trap. Jay stews in a cell that overflows with rioters, his options diminishing as the hours pass, until he hatches a desperate plan.
